The WSET / ISG Challenge Number 7: A Medley of Miscellany

All things German was the theme for this week’s quiz. Naturally though, the answers might not have been as simple as they appeared.

What is a Reichenstenier?

1. A grape variety
2. A QWPSR in Germany
3. A village in the Rheingau
4. A village in the Rheinhessan

Answer: 1. Reichenstenier is a grape variety that was developed in Germany in 1939 using Müller-Thurgau as one parent and a crossing of Madeleine Angevine and Early Calabrese for the other. Oz Clarke describes Reichenstenier has having “dull flavours which, though “not exactly resembling a Calabrese cabbage, have swathed themselves in the neutrality of the Müller-Thurgau.” Most of Germany’s production occurs in the Rheinhessan although plantings are also found in the UK and New Zealand. This grape is resistant to rot, reaches high sugar levels, but is overall not memorable for taste.

Edelfäule is what?

1. A bereich in the Rheingau
2. A field blend from Alsace
3. Noble Rot
4. A synonym for Riesling used in the Rheingau

Answer: 3. Edelfäule is the benevolent form of Botrytis that gives some of the world’s finest and most long-lived sweet wines – Sauternes and Tokaji being arguably the best known – their distinctive taste.

There is a wealth of information on Noble Rot available, but one popular myth found on Wikipedia suggests the remarkable taste it imparts was discovered in 1775 when the Riesling producers at Schloss Johannisberg, awaited the tradition go ahead from the estate owner, Heinrich von Bibra, Bishop of Fulda, before cutting their grapes. Unbeknownst to them, the abbey messenger was robbed en route and the cutting delayed three weeks – ample time for the Botrytis to take hold. The grapes were presumed worthless and given to local peasants, who produced a surprisingly good, sweet wine which subsequently became known as Spätlese, or late harvest wine.

FYI: These are actual practice questions from Frank’s WSET and ISG studies. Let us know how you’re enjoying them and using them.

Check out our listing on Local Wine Events Favourite Blogs and vote us up from Number Four.

 

Sipping Riesling with Johannes Selbach

I’m still on the quest for one of the Toro wines from Frank’s Spanish Wine Educators course. Nothing at the BC Liquor Store, nothing at the two private wine stores located geographically closest to home. By the time I snag a scarcer-than-Toro-wine parking spot outside the Kitsilano Wine Cellar – one of my favourite though slightly farther away private wine shops – I’ve become what diplomatic friends call “focused.” The less diplomatic ones tend to use the term “obsessed.”

“It’s a great day for tasting Rieslings,” says a cheery woman with suspiciously frizzy, red hair and a glass already in hand. Like there’s a bad day for Riesling? It takes a second to register that I’ve apparently stumbled on an unexpected in-house tasting. Okay, time for a detour from the Toro especially since, according to my chatty, beaming companion, the vineyard owner himself, Johannes Selbach – “such a lovely, daaarling man” – is pouring. Hey, serendipity is good.

All four wines are from the Selbach-Oster winery in Germany’s Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region – one of the world’s prime Riesling areas. Selbach-Oster has been growing grapes there since the 1600s and Riesling is the only wine they produce. Frank’s going to be really choked he missed out on this one.

Halbtrocken Riesling 2005 (1-Litre)
A popular restaurant offering in Germany, this wine gives plenty of slate on the nose. Dry, firm, and “crunchy” as Johannes describes it. Good acidity but certainly not overpowering – great to have on hand for when guests show up unexpectedly. Solid value at $27.99

Zeltinger Himmelreigh QBA Riesling 2001
A bit fruitier and rounder, this wine presents more petrol on the nose and more sweetness on the palate. I attempt, without success, to find the hint of fizz Johannes experiences but we soon settle for simply agreeing this is a pleasing, comfortable wine – especially at the price point of $17.99.

Bernkaestler Kabinett Riesling 2005
Big mouth feel ensures this wine would pair well with a diverse selection of foods – pastas, tomato and vinaigrette salad, and paella. Easy to see why, at $22.99, this is Selbach-Oster’s most popular wine.

Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spatlese 2003
“A big step up” Johannes says as he pours the last wine. No kidding. Immediately presenting the nose-tickling petrol fragrance that’s synonymous with classic Riesling, this old vine beauty is well balanced, rich, and complex. Peaches dance at the back of the tongue like kids playing in an orchard where fruit laden branches dip low to the ground. Thanks to the hot 2003 summer, there’s a mouth-cleansing acidity that would pair well with a broad range of foods… or simply with the delights of good company. Definitely one to stock at $39.99.

Epilogue: Kitsilano Wine Cellar does indeed have some of the elusive Toro wines – two in fact. Two bottles of the 2003 Vetus are already tucked away for the next barbeque, but they are sharing shelf space with a couple of newly discovered whites from Selbach-Oster. Like the woman said, it really was a great day to savour some Rieslings.